ADVICE - How to loss fat while building/maintaining muscle??

RedheadedJohanna

Hi all,
Im completely new to this so excuse me if i do it all wrong.
I have joined here as even though i am of a petite build i have my typical wobbly fat hoarding areas after having my children.
Due to recent illness i have also lost any amount of muscle tone i had.
I am completely clueless when it comes to what exercises to do or what kind of diet to do so absolutlely any advice or tips anybody could give me to help me shift this extra bit of fat and to help tone myself up wpuld be much appreciated.
As i said i do already have a petite build so not alot of fat to lose but i do have my wobbly areas.
Thankyou for reading.
xxxxxx

christinarayburn3

Hi - Strength training for sure is where I would start; sounds like that's where you would probably benefit the most. Don't know how much time you have or your current fitness level, but if you're hauling little kids around you probably have more strength than you realize. Jillian Michael's 30 day shred is a great video to get started with. It's interval training that starts out relatively easy with modifications if need be, and then gradually you progress to more challenge as you increase your strength. There are three levels that your supposed to complete over 10 days, but it's flexible. And, with warmup and cooldown, you're done in 30 minutes.

nomeejerome

Calorie defict for weight loss and exercise for fitness. Strength training is great to retain lean mass and once you reduce body fat, the muscle underneath will reveal itself. There is no way to spot reduce and the body decides where the fat will come off first and last.

RedheadedJohanna

Hi
Thanks for your advice,
I do actualLy already have the Jillian Michaels DVD.
Id say i have a moderate fitness level. I go walking alot and quite a good runner but find it hard to go running alot with the little ones hanging around my ankles!
I do also have some kettlebell weights but considering maybe an exercise bike or similar? My diet is also a major factor which i know isnt helping. I dont eat regularly enough and can easily skip meals until late afternoon but then need a sugar fix during the evening. I am currently trying to regulate my eating habits but unsure of suitable things to be eating.
xxx

Tavysh

It can be tough to maintain muscle while losing fat but it's definently not impossible. Strength trainings is a given with this along with eating enough so that you are in a deficit but not so much of one that you lose muscle along with fat. Personally I mix in some light/moderate cardio 3 or 4 days a week as that's what works best for me. I can do all the strength training in the world and it doesn't seem like I drop fat but some extra cardio takes it off quick.

ember168

Have you considered hiit styled training? It uses cardio and strength moves that alternate between rounds. This allows you to get your cardio in (usually in the same room, you dont have to leave the house!) and still increase your strength.

usmcmp

ember168 wrote: »

Have you considered hiit styled training? It uses cardio and strength moves that alternate between rounds. This allows you to get your cardio in (usually in the same room, you dont have to leave the house!) and still increase your strength.

@ember168 Welcome to MFP! Just wanted to point out that you bumped a 4 year old thread. Normally that's not a big deal, but the OP likely doesn't need advice.

I would actually like to help you though. HIIT can be a good calorie burner, but it's not likely to help you build or maintain muscle. A progressive lifting routine (even a body weight routine) is going to give you the best results in helping you gain or build muscle while losing fat. Cardio is sort of irrelevant if your calories are under control. It really is all about pushing the limits of your muscles over time. Hope that helps!

deahmichelle

To build muscle and lose fat....up your protein intake and also fiber. You have to exercise with protein, because eating lots of protein with no exercise produces more fat. Lean proteins, protein powders, and also plenty of water. Add me if you like.

ember168

@usmcmp i realized it was an old post at the last second. My bad. But ive actually been using hiit training for over a year. Each workout is 1 to 2 hours daily. Ive used every training style out there and hiit has given me the most results. I started off using 30 lbs on my barbell and im at 70 lbs now. I increased my bicep curls from 8 lbs to 20 lbs. I can do so many variations of pushups now . before i couldnt do two on my knees. I used to train without a vest. Now i train with a 10 lb vest everyday. So in my personal experience (everyone's will be different) hiit is the best. Cardio strength is my personal chioce.

Graelwyn75

I can only tell you what I did after I became rather flabby from a period of binge eating.
I started intermittent fasting, kept my calories at maintenance or just below maintenance and hit the weights as well as doing a lot of classes, especially boxing, and continuing with cardio. I was quite attentive to what I ate as well, mostly ensuring I got at least 1Ib of protein per pound of my bodyweight (although that is totally not necessary for results, it is just where I naturally ended up due to my love of Greek Yoghurt and chicken)

My profile picture shows where I ended up after about 6 months.
My weight did not really change, but my bodyfat dropped 6%
Of course, I could just be an outlier, no guarantee this would be the experience of others.

KickboxFanatic

ember168 wrote: »

@usmcmp i realized it was an old post at the last second. My bad. But ive actually been using hiit training for over a year. Each workout is 1 to 2 hours daily. Ive used every training style out there and hiit has given me the most results. I started off using 30 lbs on my barbell and im at 70 lbs now. I increased my bicep curls from 8 lbs to 20 lbs. I can do so many variations of pushups now . before i couldnt do two on my knees. I used to train without a vest. Now i train with a 10 lb vest everyday. So in my personal experience (everyone's will be different) hiit is the best. Cardio strength is my personal chioce.

If you're training for 1-2 hours then what you are doing isn't HIIT. It is most likely circuit training or even a kind of interval training but definitely not HIIT. 20 minutes of solid HIIT should leave you on the floor unable to do more.

sijomial

ember168 wrote: »

@usmcmp i realized it was an old post at the last second. My bad. But ive actually been using hiit training for over a year. Each workout is 1 to 2 hours daily. Ive used every training style out there and hiit has given me the most results. I started off using 30 lbs on my barbell and im at 70 lbs now. I increased my bicep curls from 8 lbs to 20 lbs. I can do so many variations of pushups now . before i couldnt do two on my knees. I used to train without a vest. Now i train with a 10 lb vest everyday. So in my personal experience (everyone's will be different) hiit is the best. Cardio strength is my personal chioce.

That's not, and simply can't be, genuine HIIT with that duration.
It sounds like circuit training - doesn't make it bad training style of course and enjoying it is a huge factor.

ninerbuff

ember168 wrote: »

@usmcmp i realized it was an old post at the last second. My bad. But ive actually been using hiit training for over a year. Each workout is 1 to 2 hours daily. Ive used every training style out there and hiit has given me the most results. I started off using 30 lbs on my barbell and im at 70 lbs now. I increased my bicep curls from 8 lbs to 20 lbs. I can do so many variations of pushups now . before i couldnt do two on my knees. I used to train without a vest. Now i train with a 10 lb vest everyday. So in my personal experience (everyone's will be different) hiit is the best. Cardio strength is my personal chioce.

Well your lifting is PROGRESSIVE if you're increasing the weights. HIIT is a good way to train, but it's not for everyone especially beginners at lifting if they have no experience in correct form with repetition.
As mentioned if it's an hour long or more, it's more INTERVAL training than HIIT. HIIT training is usually less than 30 minutes due to the 95% output of effort.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

deahmichelle wrote: »

To build muscle and lose fat....up your protein intake and also fiber. You have to exercise with protein, because eating lots of protein with no exercise produces more fat. Lean proteins, protein powders, and also plenty of water. Add me if you like.

While you need protein to build muscle, over consuming any macro that exceeds your TDEE can lead extra fat.
To build muscle and lose fat is actually a fine line since one is anabolic and the catabolic. You usually do one or the other and recomp usually is done by people who are in pretty good shape with only a little bit of fat to lose.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

KickboxFanatic wrote: »

ember168 wrote: »

@usmcmp i realized it was an old post at the last second. My bad. But ive actually been using hiit training for over a year. Each workout is 1 to 2 hours daily. Ive used every training style out there and hiit has given me the most results. I started off using 30 lbs on my barbell and im at 70 lbs now. I increased my bicep curls from 8 lbs to 20 lbs. I can do so many variations of pushups now . before i couldnt do two on my knees. I used to train without a vest. Now i train with a 10 lb vest everyday. So in my personal experience (everyone's will be different) hiit is the best. Cardio strength is my personal chioce.

If you're training for 1-2 hours then what you are doing isn't HIIT. It is most likely circuit training or even a kind of interval training but definitely not HIIT. 20 minutes of solid HIIT should leave you on the floor unable to do more.

This. When I box with my clients who choose it, we do HIIT. It's no longer than 20 minutes and every round, they are practically dying. And each round is only 20 seconds to 30 seconds.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ember168

Good grief!!! I said hiit styled training. Yes hiit training is usually 15 to 20 mins. I have been doing it so long i have built up stamina. I love stacking hiit workouts together and follow a trainer who does hiit style (50 seconds on 10 sec rest) for 20 to 60 mins. Sorry to cause such an uproar. She also incorporates weights in the routines. So yeah, ive progressed with my muscle strength and build.

ninerbuff

ember168 wrote: »

Good grief!!! I said hiit styled training. Yes hiit training is usually 15 to 20 mins. I have been doing it so long i have built up stamina. I love stacking hiit workouts together and follow a trainer who does hiit style (50 seconds on 10 sec rest) for 20 to 60 mins. Sorry to cause such an uproar. She also incorporates weights in the routines. So yeah, ive progressed with my muscle strength and build.

You're not understanding what HIIT is.

HIIT training is intensity effort well above 85% and usually in the 90%-95% effort range. In other words, if you're doing it you're "sprinting" not "running or jogging". Most people CANNOT sprint for 20 minutes at 90% effort with a 10 second rest. Elite athletes can't. She's trying to imitate TABATA PROTOCOL and if people really did it correctly, it's 100% effort for 20 seconds and 10 second rest for 4 minutes. People are laying on the floor at 4 minutes. If that's not the case, it's no where near Tabata protocol.
If the rest is only 10 seconds and you're going from 20 to 60 minutes, then the effort is likely only 70%-75% or less intensity. HIIT can be done in 20-60 minutes, but the recovery time would DEFINITELY be variable based on the exercises. And it's NOT going to be 10 seconds.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

VeronicaA76

ember168 wrote: »

Good grief!!! I said hiit styled training. Yes hiit training is usually 15 to 20 mins. I have been doing it so long i have built up stamina. I love stacking hiit workouts together and follow a trainer who does hiit style (50 seconds on 10 sec rest) for 20 to 60 mins. Sorry to cause such an uproar. She also incorporates weights in the routines. So yeah, ive progressed with my muscle strength and build.

That's amazing! Keep up the great work ethic. Meh, some people just love to complain about anything and everything, let them. Personally I think you're doing great to stack HIIT, most I've ever done is 3 10's before utterly collapsing.

ninerbuff

VeronicaA76 wrote: »

ember168 wrote: »

Good grief!!! I said hiit styled training. Yes hiit training is usually 15 to 20 mins. I have been doing it so long i have built up stamina. I love stacking hiit workouts together and follow a trainer who does hiit style (50 seconds on 10 sec rest) for 20 to 60 mins. Sorry to cause such an uproar. She also incorporates weights in the routines. So yeah, ive progressed with my muscle strength and build.

That's amazing! Keep up the great work ethic. Meh, some people just love to complain about anything and everything, let them. Personally I think you're doing great to stack HIIT, most I've ever done is 3 10's before utterly collapsing.

It's not "complaining". It's correcting incorrect information. You don't call a squat a lunge or a burpee a push up, so let's not call this type of interval training HIIT when it's not.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

bbell1985

ninerbuff wrote: »

VeronicaA76 wrote: »

ember168 wrote: »

Good grief!!! I said hiit styled training. Yes hiit training is usually 15 to 20 mins. I have been doing it so long i have built up stamina. I love stacking hiit workouts together and follow a trainer who does hiit style (50 seconds on 10 sec rest) for 20 to 60 mins. Sorry to cause such an uproar. She also incorporates weights in the routines. So yeah, ive progressed with my muscle strength and build.

That's amazing! Keep up the great work ethic. Meh, some people just love to complain about anything and everything, let them. Personally I think you're doing great to stack HIIT, most I've ever done is 3 10's before utterly collapsing.

It's not "complaining". It's correcting incorrect information. You don't call a squat a lunge or a burpee a push up, so let's not call this type of interval training HIIT when it's not.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I thank you for correcting information on here. I've been here for years and I would have never gotten where I am if I had not seen CORRECT information on the boards.